What a week it has been! I am sorry I didn’t post last weekend >>> BUT! it was baby arrival week end. This was meant to be a 4-generation experience….

. However last week I was called to help an elderly friend that had been taken to the ER with shortness of breath.  I hadn’t quite got home yet from my daughter’s first Immunotherapy infusion. So instead of coming home I headed to the hospital in Portage. After a few hours of not much happening they sent her home. Most of her symptoms are from a couple serious chronic ailments she has. She had a very bad cough and a bit more than her usual 86-year-old senior moments. She tested neg for COVID, but after several more days the assisted living with no change they retested her, and she was positive for COVID. I had just spent about 4 hrs. with her. Right on time 5 days later I too tested positive.

Needless to say, there was not a four-generation event and still hasn’t been. People of course worry about the baby, I on the other hand am more concerned with my baby. Miss Wren Elizabeth probably has a much better immune system at this point than Autumn does.

Let’s just say she wasn’t in a big hurry to leave her nice, warm, cozy place. After sitting on the finish line for over 3 hours, they had to give her some assistance.  But Grandma Autumn held up very well through an almost 2-day ordeal. Hospital arrival Sat morning 7am – Wren Elizabeth arrival SUNDAY around 4PM.

 L_O_N G TIME even by first baby standards. But she is healthy and beautiful. Mom of course is feeling rather rough, but bouncing back nicely😊

 I in turn slept for the better part of 3 days. My sinuses were on fire, everything that could ache did. I never got a cough or fever. Just felt like I had been hit by a truck and I was so tired. I am still on the mend. Feel pretty back to normal. Will stay away from everyone for awhile yet. Looking forward to seeing them all, even Autumn’s oldest daughter that just flew home from Florida. But we have so many ways to communicate, I don’t feel left out and everyone is staying safe. I have been exposed many times. First time I have gotten sick or tested positive.

God is still forever Faithful.

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The Falls Chapter 3 Part 2

ENJOY!!

Therefore, from that moment forward everyone that came and went wore yellow paper gowns and purple gloves. I am a touchy, huggee person, so this was hard for me.  Some people didn’t come; others came and stood at a distance. Don’t get me wrong, I would not have wanted anyone to get sick because of me. I think maybe that is how the lepers felt, or aids patients feel. At least I didn’t have to do as the lepers and yell out unclean, unclean. Mr. Yuk stickers are just as effective. The nurses come in and did everything at one time, so they don’t have to garb up a lot. It would be hours between visits. Then no one would come back for a long time. Therefore, I don’t see many people. I didn’t like it, but God was using it to help me understand I was never alone.

My leg seemed to be getting better on this new antibiotic, but they received the lab results back, it said something else would do a better job, so they changed my antibiotic. They were wrong; by the time they figured it out my leg was a mess. So, they had to take me up to surgery, open the incision again and clean it out. This process was repeated every other day for 8 days. The leg of course was left open and packed in the interim. On the in between days they would dig around with those big, long Q-tips. (YUP! The same kind they run up your nose now for COVID test) Then they put hot compresses and these pressure socks. They went from thigh to toe. Ever so often, they would start with pressure from the foot, and it would work its way up. I guess to try to get the infection into the open area. Didn’t feel good. Didn’t work.

After the last of four visits to surgery, they announced they had good news. I could go home in a couple of days; they left a two-inch incision open, and they would teach me how to pack it, so I could change the dressings myself at home. And the best news of all they were going to put in a PICC line (a catheter that gives the Drs access to the large central veins NEAR THE HEART) this was so I could give myself IV treatments at home. I was stunned my knee was still open; I still had a life-threatening Staph infection. Now the plan was to add an IV line in my upper arm and send me home on high powered antibiotic that have a side effect list a mile long. Can’t tell you how excited I was to get on with this chapter of my life.

A while later a nurse came with a large sterile tray. Both her and the tray were covered heavily. I was then instructed to put a mask on and turn my head and look over my right shoulder. She then proceeded to try and find a vein that would hold the PICC line. All it really is, is an IV with a long tube going up your arm and into your chest/leg or neck. It is positioned in a vein that carries blood to the heart. They are placed for long-term antibiotic treatments. It is meant to stay in place longer. Though I cringed at the thought, it couldn’t be as bad as them having to search for a new vain every day or so. My veins have always been a challenge for the nurses/IV Techs. My mom had the same problem. She always bruised so badly from the repeated search for a good vein.

This was no exception after searching for a long time, putting it in, pulling it out she announced she was going to get someone else to do it. This person was the best at it. I said cool, “I thought! Why didn’t you get them the first time?.” This was one time I was glad they didn’t hurry. However, before I knew it another yellow paper covered nurse entered the room. While she set up for the next attempt, I was again instructed to turn my head and to cover my mouth with the mask.

 Soon the burning and pain started. I knew that in my self I couldn’t do this, I said “Lord Jesus you promised a way of escape.” He also said, “I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life.” During those few minutes, I began a journey that took to a new fellowship with God. One that would take me to a God created place where there is only Him and me. I had always believed the way out of your own pain is to try and alleviate someone else’s. So, I began to pray for everyone with bad veins and arteries. In my spirits eye I could see the Lord walking through veins and arteries. It reminded me of Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah said, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” I could see his robe almost airborne behind him. Stuff was falling from the walls, I guess it was plaque. He would come to a narrow place, and it would expand then I heard the nurse talking. She said “Honey, we couldn’t do it we’ll have to take you to surgery, and they will put in a Groshong CV catheter. This would be my sixth trip to surgery in a month. I know one thing I had just been with the Lord, and I wasn’t excited, but I was no longer anxious and afraid.

It was an interesting little deal. It looked like the old things you used to hook to your TV if you had VCR and Atari’s hooked up. You would slide it one way for TV, one for game. Only it wasn’t a game. I was going home with some very high-powered antibiotics. And contraption in my left chest. Don’t forget I still have a two-inch open incision in my knee. They had it packed with sterile ribbon gauze, when you pulled it out it was hard to believe that much would fit in there. They showed me how to do it, which didn’t matter because my supplies all came from a home nursing organization, and that wasn’t what they used. I am a Licensed Practical Nurse; I have changed my share of dressings; on them, not me.

Therefore, twelve days and several OR visits, I slid into the side door of our minivan and made myself comfortable on the floor with the bed my husband had made for me. I was too weak to sit up in the seat.

I found the whole deal with the dressings and IVs a bit intimidating. Once again, I found my self-saying, “Lord I can’t do this on my own. My husband and daughters helped. However, I know I can do all things when I get my strength from you. Yes! Did I get a bit grossed out? Yes!  However, I got through it. God was faithful. 1 Peter 5:7 says Cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you. That covers the big stuff, little stuff and all the in between stuff. It says ALL our care, concerns, and anxieties. Be anxious for NOthing. Easy to quote, harder to do.

 I was feeling a bit better, apart from being a little weak and tired. I still had a serious infection in my body. One of my sisters came down to help take care of me. She was a real blessing.

I had to do IV’s two or three times a day. One was a bag I hung; the other was put into the line with a syringe.

          The grandkids came to say Hi! That was nice. My one granddaughter would sit on my bed, and chat for as long as she was allowed to. One of the hardest parts of this is while I was in the hospital, they moved our foster kids out. Partially because of the Staph and because I was unable to care for them. Then we found out they weren’t sending them back.

I didn’t even get to say good-bye. None of us did. Not them, not us. They moved them out into respite, and they never came back. I realize physically I couldn’t care for them, but I would have thought a good-by would have been in order. We had a short visit with the twins, six months later. Never have seen the other two. Don’t want to get stuck here but did expect different treatment after 15 yrs. of being foster parents. Love and miss the kids. Not the system. But in all fairness, they were now down a foster home and had to back up and regroup with four children.

I couldn’t read or watch TV; the antibiotics blurred my vision. Therefore, I listened to music a lot. My favorite is worship music. I also enjoyed teaching tapes. Other than that, I slept a lot. In fact, that is what I was doing when I heard voices and people began uncovering me and changing my clothes. Half out of it I asked what was going on. Someone was sticking a thermometer in my mouth. I was running a temp of 103.4. Our oldest daughter said mom I called, and we must get you to the emergency room right away. They told me I protested, didn’t matter, because back on the floor of the van I went. Moreover, I guess I fell asleep right away because the next thing I remembered was again being wheeled into the hospital ER. All I remember about that trip was being pushed in a wheelchair and feeling very weak.

I remember my husband saying about his bout with Malaria after Vietnam. That he felt like he had to get better to die. I was beginning to understand that sentiment.

Blessings! Thanks for Reading!

Next chapter coming soon!!